1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to holders for the handle portion of a fishing rod, and more particularly to a fishing rod holder which mounts removably with respect to the fisherman's clothing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fisherman who fish for trophy size game fish, such as salmon and trout on the Great Lakes, are frequently subjected to discomfort caused by the fishing rod handle end digging into the fisherman's body at or near the waist or abdoment. This situation is brough about by the considerable forces generated on the fishing rod by the action of the fish and the fisherman's periodic reeling-in movements. Thus, practically every fisherman who has landed (or attempted to land) a large fighting fish can recount how he/she used his/her waist area as a fishing rod end support to advantage, and they can also report how their tummies hurt later that day due to the pressure of the fishing rod end on their body.
While perhaps the simplest solution is to simply not let the fishing rod end touch the fisherman's body, in practice this is not so very easy to accomplish. There are many inexperienced fisherman who would be unable to manipulate their fishing rod in a manner that would avoid tummy contact. Further, there are many fisherman who because of advanced age or infirmity are unable to control their fishing rod sufficiently to avoid tummy contact. Indeed, even the most sophisticated of fisherman will forget about their tummies when all that is on their mind is landing "the big one". Ergo, there is a distinct need to provide some form of device which can prevent body injury during the landing of large fighting fish.
There are attempts in the prior art to provide a fishing rod support mechanism, as follows. U.S. Pat. No. 3,159,939 to Transeau, dated Dec. 8, 1964, discloses a fishing rod pad which detachably interconnects with the handle of a fishing rod, but does not attach to the fisherman. U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,573 to Fruscell et al, dated Apr. 1, 1975, discloses a holster type of fishing rod holder which requires a belt and the fishing rod is held at the left side of the fisherman so that he/she may perform other tasks and not have to place the fishing rod down thereduring. U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,115 to White et al, dated Mar. 28, 1978, discloses a special belt having a front mount using a ball and socket system for holding a fishing rod at the handle end. U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,757 to Lirette, dated May 13, 1986, discloses a special belt having a pivotable mount for holding the handle end of a fishing rod. U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,214 to Behrle, dated June 2, 1987, discloses a belt buckle for a special belt which connects with a spiral shaped fishing rod handle holder. U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,323 to Braid, dated Apr. 4, 1989, discloses a special belt which includes a fishing rod holder in the form of a rigid pad which accepts the fishing rod handle end at a "V" shaped rib. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,152 to Pepping, dated May 9, 1989, discloses a belt-like fisherman's harness featuring a plate onto which the fishing rod is pivotably mounted, but also held secure by harness straps.
While each of the foregoing devices attempts to solve the problem of discomfort to the tummy area occasioned by the landing of large game fish, there yet remains the very definite need to provide a simple, inexpensive device which is compact enough to be stored in a tackle box, and can be easily exchanged among fellow fisherman as they may mutually have need.